With a preponderance of standy-uppy stripped pine bars and corporate pseudo olde-worlde places nearby, Retro Bar stands out by being just a little bit different. Tucked down a little alleyway, it's certainly more Camden than...

We've known the Punch and Judy for a long, long time and for most of that time we've considered it a pretty dire place, best avoided. But it seems things have moved on and it's not as quite as awful as it once was. It's not as...

The Carlisle Arms is a well-loved Soho pub, which we thought we'd waved good-bye to when it closed at the end of 2006. We're happy to report that it's open for business again and not too much seems to have changed. It always...

Sometimes it seems like there are pubs that never change - and this one is a case in point. It's still a large pub in a in a prime location, which, of course, is what brings it down - it's smack bang in the heart of the theatre...

This narrow pub has long been popular with local workers and Soho crowd. Much the same as we remembered, but not bad in a jumping sort of way. It has music, but it's not too overwhelming (though Wednesday nights are <a...

A by-the-book bare boards pub that endeavours to pull in as many punters as possible. It does its best to tap into the crowds off to the Lyceum, which may explain why there are more flavoured coffees on offer than lagers and...

It was rather surprising to find a gay bar this far from the usual Soho haunts, but that said, it's friendly enough for any visitors, with lots of be-suited drinkers around working hours. It's also got a reputation for decent...

We've know this pub for a long time, and it's reasonable enough. The rather nice period interior is worth a visit, but be warned the long and narrow downstair bar can get overly full of office workers around knocking-off time....

The Cross Keys is a quaint, popular (especially with the media crowd hereabouts) little pub, on the periphery of Covent Garden, that does a good job of being a welcoming hostelry. Unlike many places in the area, The Cross Keys...

De Hems is a popular pub for people to meet when out for a night on the town. Named after a Dutch sailor, who bought the place in the late 19th Century, it wavered in our affections after a change of ownership diluted the...

Not a lot to report since it was consume- sucked into- taken over by the Slug and Lettuce chain. It's passable, we suppose and as most of the clientele tend to be transients going from one place to another, it's probably not...

Very often we like to bring you a choice little hideaway, an undiscovered gem with a few enchanting flaws. But we also have to concede that, if a place is really popular, chances are they're doing something right and a recent...

If you go to Charing Cross mainline station you're spoilt for choice these days with not one but two pubs. We say 'spoilt', but we're lying. Obviously, being honest, concourse pubs are never destinations to seek out. The one...

Punny name aside, if you like your bars 'alternative' rather than 'stylish' then the Crobar is probably the best place to drink in Soho. The bottled beer and cocktail choice is pretty good, but the selection of bourbon is...

As a drinker favoured by those who favour booze before using public transport, the Boadicea serves a purpose. It's a small, sweaty place that offers London Pride amid the usual fray of lager and alcopops. The jukebox provides...